Enhancing Environmental Literacy for A Better Earth Stewardship
From intense heat waves in South and Southeast Asia earlier this year to flash floods in Switzerland during June, environmental crises know no borders. We are confronted with problems of inaction and a sense of hopelessness due to the sheer scale of the challenges we face. While it may feel overwhelming, knowing how to harness your awareness can benefit not only your stewardship of the Earth but also yourself and others.
According to the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE, 2011), comprehensive environmental literacy involves understanding a variety of environmental concepts, issues, and challenges. It also includes cognitive and affective dispositions, as well as the skills and behavioral strategies necessary for making informed decisions in various environmental contexts. So, how can we cultivate environmental literacy? The NAAEE highlights four key components:
Knowledge about:
- Physical and ecological systems
- Social, cultural, and political systems
- Environmental issues
- Various solutions to environmental problems
- Strategies for citizen participation and action
Dispositions or beliefs and attitudes regarding environmental literacy, including:
- Awareness of environmental issues
- Perspectives, concerns, and attitudes about the environment
- Personal accountability and responsibility
- A belief that one can influence environmental action
- Motivation and goals for committing to environmental action
Competencies or the collection of knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to be environmentally literate, including:
- Recognizing ecological concerns
- Asking questions about environmental issues
- Examining and studying environmental problems
- Assessing and determining solutions to environmental issues
- Providing knowledge and evidence to support one’s positions or solutions
- Evaluating plans for addressing environmental problems
Environmentally Responsible Behavior which represents the application of competencies, knowledge, and dispositions in practical contexts. It includes actions such as:
- Eco-management
- Advocacy
- Consumer and economic actions
- Political actions
- Legal actions
- Other forms of environmentally significant behavior
These components are essential to environmental literacy and provide the key to understanding our world and balancing our lasting footprint on Earth. Translating environmental literacy into actionable stewardship of the Earth is crucial for our survival. This is a step forward in ensuring that our planet and our future are secured for generations to come. Let us use our differences to transform environmental literacy into climate action.
Written by Carl Mojica
Reference:
North American Association for Environmental Education. (2011, December). Environmental Literacy: Executive Summary. Retrieved July 3, 2024, from https://naaee.org/sites/default/files/inline-files/envliteracyexesummary.pdf
Published on August 12, 2024.
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